Placing upland brgys under COMELEC control: Guardo''s petition faces no objection from BOPK

The petition of south district congressional candidate Jonathan "Atan" Guardo to place the city''s 27 upland barangays under Comelec control for the May 14 elections had met no opposition from the members of the ruling Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan party.

Reelectionists Vice Mayor Michael Rama and Rep. Antonio Cuenco of the city South District, and the barangay captains of three upland barangays all said they saw no basis in Guardo''s petition but then they would not object to it anyway.

Rama welcomed Guardo''s move saying that BOPK could not stop him from filing the petition. "That''s their right. It''s up to the Comelec, which has to be circumspect on what to do with respect to the circumstances and how to deal with the situation."

Cuenco, the opponent of Guardo, said the administration men are hiding anything and they have nothing to be afraid of. He alleged that Guardo is trying to turn the table against them because he has been the one harassing their supporters.

Three barangay captains also said yesterday that the Guardo petition has no basis but they are ready to welcome the Comelec decision in case it favors Guardo.

Barangay captains Eleodoro Sanchez of Busay and Sergio Cesario of Cambinucot said there have been no sightings of armed men in their places-one of the bases of Guardo''s petition-but they are not against either to a Comelec control.

Barangay captain Basilio Albores of Sudlon II said that there were unidentified armed men in the barangay but then he would not oppose also the proposal to put upland barangays under Comelec control.

Albores, a BOPK ally, confirmed that two unidentified men with long firearms went to the house of barangay lupon Regino Bolo. The men tried to open the door but retreated when they found it locked.

Albores said the men were not among the policemen that the city government had deployed to the upland barangays to check on reports about the presence of armed men there.

Last Wedneday morning, Guardo and his lawyer Salvador Solima went to the Comelec regional office to file his petition placing the city''s upland barangays under Comelec control.

Guardo said the recent move of the city government to send an augmentation force of 50 policemen supposedly to secure the upland barangays would result in "inevitable confrontation" and "would terrorize people and prevent them from exercising their sacred right to vote."

Rama meanwhile repeated the stand of the BOPK not to face the opposition candidates in a public debate, as earlier dared by Guardo. He said the BOPK men are however ready to face the Guardo group in an open forum with members of the media. - Fred P. Languido with Wenna A. Berondo/RAE